Farwell Plant runs more than 80 machines in total from its premises in Blandford Forum, Dorset. The latest fleet additions also include tracked and midi excavators.
Owner Mark Farwell says: “We’ve operated JCB machines for 32 years and they’ve always been a good machine. We’ve never had a bad one and they’ve always been reliable.”
Farwell is split between its own civil engineering and earthmoving contracting and the plant hire side where machines are available with or, in some cases, without operators. Farwell has always run backhoe loaders as part of the fleet, changing the machines every two to three years to keep pace with the latest technology and to provide the best machines and service to its customers.
The 10 backhoe loaders are the latest 3CX ECO, powered by JCB’s EcoMAX Stage IIIB/Tier 4 Interim diesel engine. This highly efficient powerplant offers 6% more torque than the previous model, yet consumes up to 9% less fuel. The EcoMAX engine also meets the latest emissions standards without the need for a diesel particulate filter (DPF) or any form of exhaust after-treatment, simplifying maintenance and further reducing ownership costs.
Farwell has specified the machines with powershift transmissions and the optional Torquelock lock-up torque converter, which offers fuel savings of as much as 25% when travelling on the road. The machines are also specified with JCB’s Smooth Ride System (SRS) loader arm suspension and with hydraulic hammer piping.
Mark Farwell adds: “We have always had backhoe loaders. They are a very versatile machine that is always in demand, both for our own contracting work and for the plant hire side of the business.
“The JCB product is good value for money and it’s a good British product and it is nice to buy British. They are not the cheapest machines on the market, though the cost to buy is reasonable. But when you come to sell a JCB you always get a good resale value, so that gives us the best total cost of ownership.”
I wonder how they would measure up to the old JCB Sitemaster or "grey cabs"? ( Pictured below a Sitemaster from 1991) 
